Making rash decisions is not the sign of success

And here in Winnipeg the debate rages: Is it the system, the players, the coach or maybe even all three that is holding the mighty Jets to the ground.

It seems the chance to simply have the argument is not enough. Winnipeg hockey fans want the answer, correct that, they want the right answer. Some want an answer now. Even if it remains unclear what are the pertinent questions.

QUICK HITTERS

And justice for some: There’s an interesting theory about why NHL vice-president of player safety Brendan Shanahan won’t hit offenders with even longer suspensions and it’s tied to the appeal process. The theory goes like this: Shanahan doesn’t want his suspensions constantly being pushed upstairs for appeal. It ties up commissioner Gary Bettman and drags out the process. So he looks for the sweet spot where the player gets punished but doesn’t consider it worth an appeal. The system needs to be overhauled again. Shanahan can’t be watering down league justice to keep the system moving. What’s next? Plea bargains?

Jay’s justice: This comes from longtime NHL defenceman Jay McKee’s Twitter account. “Has the NHL ever considered letting actual players decide the length of a players suspension? Veterans with 500+ games could vote on length.”

Here comes Kitty: The Anaheim Ducks could set a franchise record with an eighth straight win on tonight but standing in the way are old coach Randy Carlyle and former teammate Joffrey Lupul. Carlyle, now coaching the Leafs, will be facing his old team for the first time since being fired during the 2011 season.

Case for Kane: Evander Kane is off to a strong start to his season and with five goals in nine games he’s likely going to be getting some attention from Team Canada’s scouting department. Kane wasn’t invited to Canada’s orientation camp this summer but he can still play his way on. His mix of speed, finish and power — Kane ranks third in the league with 35 hits this season — is unique. One area Kane must clean up is his penchant for minor penalties, as he also ranks second in the league in that category with seven. Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman won’t want a player who takes cheap interference calls on his team in a tournament where an ill-timed power play against could cost a country a medal.

Cash for Alfie: The Detroit Red Wings signed Daniel Alfredsson to a base contract of $3.5 million with a bonus of $2 million after 10 games, which he reached on Monday night.

Monahan the man: Flames rookie Sean Monahan has five goals and three assists for the Calgary Flames through seven games, sitting second in team scoring, behind Jiri Hudler. The NHL’s CBA allows junior aged players to play nine games before a contract kicks in and the first year of the race to free agency begins. The Flames could still return Monahan to junior at a later date but would get to no relief in terms of the contract. Calgary is in the midst of a rebuild and this decision will be interesting to watch unfold.

Goalie watch: While lots of positions are nailed down for Team Canada, the one area the remains wide open for our Olympic team is the crease. The best Canadian-born goalie in the NHL this season has been Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, with a 7-0 record, .930 save percentage and a 1.84 goalsagainst average. Fleury, however, has had back-to-back post-season meltdowns, which could colour the selection committee’s view of him. Montreal’s Carey Price and Chicago’s Corey Crawford are also off to strong starts and Cam Ward has shown some flashes down in Carolina. Still a wide open race. Timeless Teemu:

Ducks forward Teemu Selanne has scored in three straight games and now has 678 for his career. The 43-yearold Finn is the first NHL player aged 43 or higher to score goals in the three straight games since Gordie Howe turned the trick at age 51 in his final NHL season.

5 STORYLINES TO WATCH:

WILL the Leafs wilt: The Leafs own a 6-3 mark and sit seventh in the NHL, but more noise is being made about how this team plays than its record. The Leafs are regularly outshot and have poor puck-possession statistics. Can they keep winning or will the numbers catch up with them? The battle between old schoolers and the advance-statistics gurus wages.

PATRICK’S PARTY: Rookie coach Patrick Roy has his Avalanche off to a screaming start and it’s all about intensity. Seven wins against just one loss and a perfect 4-0 road record. If they were handing out the Jack Adams Award today it would go to St. Patrick.

SUPER SID: Sidney Crosby is the NHL’s best player and is having the best start to a season of his career with seven goals and 10 assists through eight games. Injury has regularly disrupted Crosby’s career but when he’s healthy he’s in a class by himself.

PACIFIC PARITY: The fourth-place team in the Pacific has enough points to sit either first or second in any other division. The San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are all off to strong starts and have to be considered contenders. This is the strongest division in hockey and when you factor in the fifth-place Vancouver Canucks the Pacific could take up five of the Western Conference’s eight playoffs spots this spring.

SWIMMING WITH SHARKS: San Jose GM Doug Wilson has done a brilliant job of rebuilding his roster on the run. Wilson didn’t rebuild as much as he reloaded by keeping a number of his aging stars while adding an influx of talented youth. The Sharks are the best team in hockey today with a 7-0-1 record for 15 points. With San Jose, however, the regular season hasn’t been the problem. It’s the playoffs where they’ve stumbled, bringing forth the question that always seems to be asked about this team: Is this the year?

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Not long ago this city dreamed of having an NHL team to call its own. But like anything in life, once you get a taste of something good, there is an insatiable demand for more.

Playing to play, as Claude Noel disdainfully puts it, is no longer good enough. Winnipeggers want their team to play to win.

The call-in shows are filled with fury and self-annointed expertise. The exit aisles have been clogged long before the final buzzer on more nights than the marketing department cares to see.

This summer, the first of True North's three-year ticket contracts will come up for renewal and we'll get a second look at how this market feels about NHL hockey at NHL prices.

My guess is the pull will still be strong and the few that elect not to renew will have their seats gobbled up by those on the waiting list. There's no crisis in Winnipeg. But there is reality.

The reality is no franchise sells the playoffs. They sell the regular season and if there is a post-season that gets tacked on, it's a bonus. A bonus some markets get more often than others but it's not a guarantee. Not here. Not anywhere.

The angst this city is experiencing right now can be viewed in a number of ways. Some will say the expectations are hurried and unreal. Some will fear the mood in the stands.

Hopefully, management will understand they can't control the temperature of the marketplace. Just like fans can't stipulate the direction and blueprint of the franchise.

But a desire for more success is healthy in an organization. It can drive it to new heights.

Surely this is just the first stretch of bad water the organization has seen. It will see more, of that you can be certain. Jets management can't and shouldn't flinch in the face of a few tough nights.

Mark Chipman, Kevin Cheveldayoff, Claude Noel and Andrew Ladd all want to win. Badly. Is there room for change with the Jets? Certainly. But jumping to rash decisions less than 10 games into a season is not the hallmark of a franchise built for success.

Some want Cheveldayoff to start making blockbuster trades. Some want Noel fired. Some want Ladd stripped of his captaincy. Really? After nine games? Is it not just a tad early for there to be blood running in the streets?

Maybe the day will come when it's clear someone needs to be fired or traded. But Cheveldayoff hasn't reached that point. That's a good thing. Oh, sure, the GM could swing a deal sending off one of his bit players for someone else's extras, but to what end?

If it's real change you want, a core player with a long-term contract, I say it's too soon.

Cheveldayoff has close to five years left on his contract. He's in charge and will be for a while. His actions are the most important.

Do Winnipeg hockey fans really want a man with an impatient finger on the trigger running their hockey team? Or a leader who exercises patience and due diligence?

It's time for a deep breath. We don't have to like what we're seeing on the ice right now. But it's a fairly small sample size.

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You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.

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About Gary Lawless

Gary Lawless is the Free Press sports columnist and co-host of the Hustler and Lawless show on TSN 1290 Winnipeg and www.winnipegfreepress.com
Lawless began covering sports as a rookie reporter at The Chronicle-Journal in Thunder Bay after graduating from journalism school at Durham College in Ontario.
After a Grey Cup winning stint with the Toronto Argonauts in the communications department, Lawless returned to Thunder Bay as sports editor.
In 1999 he joined the Free Press and after working on the night sports desk moved back into the field where he covered pro hockey, baseball and football beats prior to being named columnist.

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